Southern Adventist University
Encyclopedia
Southern Adventist University is a college
in Collegedale, Tennessee
, owned and operated by the Southern Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
. U.S. News & World Report
categorizes it as a Southern Regional College, and the magazine has consistently ranked it as one of the top-tier schools in that category. Southern Adventist University occupies a 1000 acres (4 km²) campus in a rural setting in the Tennessee River Valley.
It was founded in 1892
in Graysville, Tennessee, as Graysville Academy and was the first Adventist school in the southern U.S.
Due to the need for additional space for expansion the school relocated in 1916 and was renamed Southern Junior College. In 1944 Southern began awarding baccalaureate degrees and was renamed Southern Missionary College. In 1996 the institution started conferring Masters degrees and adopted its current name.
Southern offers baccalaureate, associate and master's degrees. It is accredited by multiple organizations including the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Its Institute of Archaeology offers an undergraduate degree in biblical archaeology; Southern is one of only two schools which offer the degree. It is known for its emphasis on conservative religious and social practices
, and is considered the most conservative of the Seventh-day Adventist schools in North America
. The college operates a radio station
(WSMC-FM
), a health-food store and a wellness center. Enrollment was 3,053 students in 2010, its highest level to date.
, in 1892, in a part of the South much affected by the American Civil War
. The area saw the battle of Chickamauga
and the Chattanooga campaign
, and was the staging ground for Sherman's Atlanta campaign
. The Academy was privately funded at first, with no financial support from the Adventist church. In 1897 it was renamed the Southern Industrial School and then Southern Training School in 1901. The school moved to the community of Thatcher's Switch in 1916, renaming it Collegedale. In 1943, Kenneth A. Wright became president of the school. During Wright's administration, Southern Junior College became accredited as a four-year college. A new name, Southern Missionary College, was adopted in 1944, and Southern granted its first baccalaureate degrees two years later. When the school became a university
in 1996, the trustees voted on a new name: Southern Adventist University.
Conference had been asked to supervise the church's work in the Southern United States. He had just moved to Graysville and was present for the church dedication. As the superintendent for the church's work in the South, Kilgore repeatedly advocated the establishment of a school.
Kilgore invited George W. Colcord (1843–1902), to come to Graysville and establish a school. Colcord was the founder of Milton Academy, which is the forerunner of Walla Walla University
. The General Conference Education Secretary, W. W. Prescott, along with Kilgore and Colcord worked together to establish the school at Graysville. Colcord and his wife Ada began the school. The first term began in February, 1892, with 23 students. The second term began in September of that year. By January 1893 Colcord reported that 62 students were in attendance. By 1893 there were three full-time teachers and three part-time teachers. Prescott considered the positive attitude of the school's faculty, students and supporters to be indicators of the school's future success and good reason to start other such schools in the South.
During 1892, Colcord operated the school privately. Then, at the session of the Seventh-day Adventist General Conference held at Battle Creek, Michigan
, February 17 to March 6, 1893, the church officially took over the school. This first school in the South inspired the session to recommend that other schools also be established.
In the Fall of 1894, Graysville Academy faced a crisis. Fourteen of the members of the Graysville Church were indicted for having violated the Tennessee Sunday law. This included Colcord, his nephew, Prof. I. C. Colcord, and M. C. Sturdevant, manager of the boys' dormitory.
The church members found guilty refused to pay the fines, choosing to go to prison instead. The imprisonment of the school's leaders resulted in its immediate closing for the rest of the year. The students, some of whom were ready to graduate, returned to their homes.
Graysville Academy continued on at the original site as a church and conference-sponsored secondary boarding academy until 1938.
At first, the school taught only students in grades 1-12 with a total enrollment of 59 students. In 1918, three students were taking post-high school level classes. The total student enrollment at this time was 175.
Southern Junior College served two union conferences of Seventh-day Adventists, the Southern and the Southeastern. Later these two would be reorganized into one, the Southern Union Conference. In 1920, Lynn H. Wood, the president of the college, presented a major report to meetings for both union conferences. He reviewed the events of the first four years at the Ooltewah location.
According to Wood, enrollment grew quickly because of a tuition work program. Students of limited means realized they could get an education and improve themselves. This put a strain on housing. But the desire for an education motivated the students to cope with those early inadequate facilities, "Students have been willing to live in shacks and tents, to put up with all kinds of inconvenience, in order that they might receive the character development that the school had for them." Wood referred to these first few years as the "pioneer years." He wrote that the positive spiritual attitude of the students made these years the most enjoyable that one could wish for.
The college built the girls' dormitory first. The girls moved in before it was finished, even before there was any heating, doors or chairs. They used "curtains for doors, sat upon their trunks for chairs — any way to get along."
Other help from the Adventist faith community included a $6,000 donation by the Southern Publishing Association for a water supply system and another "Working Bee" to build a large dairy barn, a blacksmith shop, and a corn crib. People interested in the college's success bought surrounding properties and donated them to the institution, more than doubling the school's area to close to 600 acres (2.4 km²). This allowed the school to protect itself from families moving so close that they hindered their young people attending from learning some independence, President Wood wrote. He encouraged families to send their young people to the school, and if the cost was too high for some of them, he advised that church leaders make sure they got the help they needed for their young people to attend and live in the dormitory.
In their official announcement of the name change, the Board of Trustees of Southern Missionary College explained that a shorter name would help popularize it. They also stated that, "The word 'Southern' has been associated with the College since its beginning—Southern Industrial School, Southern Training School, Southern Junior College, Southern Missionary College, and now Southern College."
, Walter Rae, and Ronald Numbers
's book, The Prophetess of Health. The controversy was set off after a visit to the campus by a leading Bible scholar and theologian of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Edward Heppenstall
, who was seen as responsible for a more progressive understanding of the church's "investigative judgment
" teaching, and who was also mentor to Desmond Ford. It came out in the open after a showing of a James Dobson
film on campus when a teacher from the theology department made a comment that seemed to disagree with statements made by church pioneer Ellen G. White
. The incident along with other concerns led to accusations that faculty at the school did not believe in White as a prophet and led to calls for firings. In the following months, various concerns converged. In the ensuing controversies, Southern experienced a change of faculty, including the removal of President Frank Knittel and the resignation in protest of Tom Zwemer from the Board of Trustees. Jerry Gladson, a professor of Old Testament
Studies at Southern, also left the school. His credentials as a minister of the church were not renewed.
and biomedical sciences; business, management, marketing, and related support services; education; and health professions and related clinical sciences. Southern offers 81 undergraduate degrees, with sixty majors, thirty-eight minors and two one-year certificate programs. It also offers master's degrees in business, education
, psychology, nursing
, religion and social work
. The university is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the Accrediting Association of Seventh-day Adventist Schools, Colleges, and Universities
. In 2009, the Princeton Review, an education services company, selected Southern as one of 141 institutions it listed in its "Best in the Southeast" section.
In 2003, the School announced an accelerated program allowing registered nurse
s with an associate's degree
to receive a Master of Science
in Nursing. At this date approximately half of Southern's nursing graduate program were non-Adventist.
In December 2010, the college temporarily suspended a home health
nursing program after two of its nursing students were accosted at gunpoint in Chattanooga. The school is considering a safer, more controlled environment for the program.
In 2011, the university opened Florida Hospital
Hall, a new building with twice the space of the former nursing building, to accommodate an expanding student base.
Research Library and its archaeological excavations and publications. Southern is one of two schools in the U.S. where students can pursue an undergraduate degree in biblical archaeology
. The museum has a collection of nearly 600 artifacts, many of which were unearthed in Israel
between 1967 and 1975.
The current Institute Director, Professor of Near Eastern Studies and Archaeology Michael Hasel, studied for his doctorate under William G. Dever at the University of Arizona
. In 2000, Dever gave his artifact collection in loan to Hasel and Southern. This made the development of Southern's program possible. The artifacts, valued at $250,000, date from 3200 BC to 450 AD. The collection has an almost complete set of the many strains of pottery from this period which students can study. In 2008, Dever placed his personal library at Southern, along with 15,000 photographic slides of archaeological excavations.
, a feature film which was awarded a Crystal Heart Award at the Heartland Film Festival
in Indiana. The family-oriented feature was filmed in Ireland and was the first feature-length film produced at the university. The school offers degrees in graphic design, animation, film production and fine art.
and the Civil War, and authentic photos and newspapers. The Collection has two original copies of the only Lincoln biography ever read and approved by him, the Life of Abraham Lincoln by J. L. Scripps, and a section of his original marble sarcophagus.
said, in reviewing a new publication at Southern, that the journal would help Southern position itself as the "ultra-orthodox defender of fundamentalist Adventism." In 2001, Adventist theologian and scholar Raymond Cottrell
, who is seen by some as a "progressive Adventist", criticized Southern's manner of dealing with Jerry Gladson, a Religion professor during the 1970s and early 1980s, stating that Southern operated as "an agency of Southern Bible belt obscurantism." He went on to say that Southern was, to an appreciable extent, "dependent on the largesse of committed ultra-fundamentalists, who insist that the college operate on ultra-fundamentalist principles."
Another way to describe Southern is that it is known for taking the Bible seriously. In explaining why he placed his collection of artifacts and his personal library at Southern Adventist University, archaeologist William Dever said, "The major support for archaeology work in Israel and Jordan comes from conservative and evangelical circles where the Bible is still taken seriously and no one is more serious and committed about archaeological study in the Middle East than Adventists."
, as the Adventist Church opposes the use of alcohol. The university observes the Sabbath from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday and students are expected to refrain from secular activities during these hours.
Although Southern does not have fraternities or sororities, there are 40 clubs on campus, one of which is a chapter of the Adventist Forum, publisher of Spectrum Magazine. The Southern Accent is a weekly student-run newspaper that has been the voice of Southern students since 1926 and gives information on events and outings and "hot issues that are being talked about on campus". There are 21 student-led ministries on campus and in the community and a Student Missions program.
Southern has more than 10 miles (16.1 km) of hiking/mountain biking trails used by students and local community members alike.
There is a campus-wide internet network with all classrooms accessing the wireless network and a computer lab in each building with access to printing. Wireless printing is also accessible in the dormitories.
although students can opt out of the dormitories during summer sessions or with permission from a dean. Upperclass and married students can receive exemptions from this policy.
The men's dormitory is Talge Hall and the women's dormitory is Thatcher Hall. An accidental fire in Thatcher Hall in April 2005 killed one student and injured two others. The dormitories have also been used to shelter storm victims who needed short-term housing, such as after tornadoes in early 2011.
Southern Industrial School, 1897-1901
Southern Training School, 1901-1916
Southern Junior College, 1917-1945
Southern Missionary College, 1946-1982
Southern College of Seventh-day Adventists, 1983-1996
Southern Adventist University, 1997-Present
The Wedgwood Trio, an American folk group founded at Newbold College
in England, has been credited with introducing contemporary sounds into popular Adventist music. The ensemble, Bob Summerour, Don Vollmer and Jerry Hoyle, arrived in America in 1965 and attended and graduated from Southern Missionary College. They achieved widespread popularity in the denomination due to their association with the Voice of Prophecy
's camp meeting circuit. In 1969, they returned to their alma mater to put on a concert. They performed from Massachusetts to Florida, in California, the Midwest, the Northwest and also in Canada. Malcolm Bull and Keith Lockhart state that "[t]hey transformed the sound of Adventist popular music at the same time as English bands like The Beatles were breaking revolutionary new ground in the wider musical world." In the early 1970s their career was brought to a halt when Adventist college presidents began banning them from their campuses. Twenty years later they re-united and resumed their musical career, complementing their other careers as psychiatrist (Summerour), church pastor (Vollmer) and clinical psychologist (Hoyle). The re-united trio issued several successful music CDs and re-gained the approval of Adventist church leaders and college presidents.
Images – Early History
Images – Archaeology
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
in Collegedale, Tennessee
Collegedale, Tennessee
Collegedale is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 8,282 at the 2010 census. Collegedale is a suburb of Chattanooga and is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, owned and operated by the Southern Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
Southern Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
The Southern Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, often abbreviated to the Southern Union, is a sub-entity of the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists, which is part of the worldwide Seventh-day Adventist Church...
. U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
categorizes it as a Southern Regional College, and the magazine has consistently ranked it as one of the top-tier schools in that category. Southern Adventist University occupies a 1000 acres (4 km²) campus in a rural setting in the Tennessee River Valley.
It was founded in 1892
1892 in the United States
-Incumbents:* President: Benjamin Harrison * Vice President: Levi P. Morton * Chief Justice: Melville Fuller* Speaker of the House of Representatives: Charles Frederick Crisp * Congress: 52nd-January–March:...
in Graysville, Tennessee, as Graysville Academy and was the first Adventist school in the southern U.S.
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
Due to the need for additional space for expansion the school relocated in 1916 and was renamed Southern Junior College. In 1944 Southern began awarding baccalaureate degrees and was renamed Southern Missionary College. In 1996 the institution started conferring Masters degrees and adopted its current name.
Southern offers baccalaureate, associate and master's degrees. It is accredited by multiple organizations including the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Its Institute of Archaeology offers an undergraduate degree in biblical archaeology; Southern is one of only two schools which offer the degree. It is known for its emphasis on conservative religious and social practices
Social conservatism in the United States
Social conservatism in the United States is generally defined by promotion of what its proponents perceive to be traditional social norms and values...
, and is considered the most conservative of the Seventh-day Adventist schools in North America
North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists
The Seventh-day Adventist Church in the United States, Canada, and Bermuda is officially organized as the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists...
. The college operates a radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
(WSMC-FM
WSMC-FM
WSMC-FM , is the Chattanooga, Tennessee, area's only radio station featuring classical music programming. It is licensed to Southern Adventist University , a four-year institution located in nearby Collegedale. Its signal reaches parts of the states of Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama and North Carolina...
), a health-food store and a wellness center. Enrollment was 3,053 students in 2010, its highest level to date.
History
Southern's roots stem from the establishment of Graysville Academy in Graysville, TennesseeGraysville, Tennessee
Graysville is a town in Rhea County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,411 at the 2000 census and 1,502 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Graysville is located at ....
, in 1892, in a part of the South much affected by the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. The area saw the battle of Chickamauga
Battle of Chickamauga
The Battle of Chickamauga, fought September 19–20, 1863, marked the end of a Union offensive in southeastern Tennessee and northwestern Georgia called the Chickamauga Campaign...
and the Chattanooga campaign
Chattanooga Campaign
The Chattanooga Campaign was a series of maneuvers and battles in October and November 1863, during the American Civil War. Following the defeat of Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans's Union Army of the Cumberland at the Battle of Chickamauga in September, the Confederate Army of Tennessee under Gen...
, and was the staging ground for Sherman's Atlanta campaign
Atlanta Campaign
The Atlanta Campaign was a series of battles fought in the Western Theater of the American Civil War throughout northwest Georgia and the area around Atlanta during the summer of 1864. Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman invaded Georgia from the vicinity of Chattanooga, Tennessee, beginning in May...
. The Academy was privately funded at first, with no financial support from the Adventist church. In 1897 it was renamed the Southern Industrial School and then Southern Training School in 1901. The school moved to the community of Thatcher's Switch in 1916, renaming it Collegedale. In 1943, Kenneth A. Wright became president of the school. During Wright's administration, Southern Junior College became accredited as a four-year college. A new name, Southern Missionary College, was adopted in 1944, and Southern granted its first baccalaureate degrees two years later. When the school became a university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
in 1996, the trustees voted on a new name: Southern Adventist University.
Graysville Academy, 1892-1897
The Graysville Seventh-day Adventist Church was organized on September 8, 1888, and by the fall of 1890, the members had dedicated a church building. R.M. Kilgore, former president of the IllinoisIllinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
Conference had been asked to supervise the church's work in the Southern United States. He had just moved to Graysville and was present for the church dedication. As the superintendent for the church's work in the South, Kilgore repeatedly advocated the establishment of a school.
Kilgore invited George W. Colcord (1843–1902), to come to Graysville and establish a school. Colcord was the founder of Milton Academy, which is the forerunner of Walla Walla University
Walla Walla University
Walla Walla University is a University offering liberal arts, professional, and technical programs located in College Place, Washington, just a few miles from Walla Walla. The current President is John McVay. It was founded in 1892 and is affiliated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church.The...
. The General Conference Education Secretary, W. W. Prescott, along with Kilgore and Colcord worked together to establish the school at Graysville. Colcord and his wife Ada began the school. The first term began in February, 1892, with 23 students. The second term began in September of that year. By January 1893 Colcord reported that 62 students were in attendance. By 1893 there were three full-time teachers and three part-time teachers. Prescott considered the positive attitude of the school's faculty, students and supporters to be indicators of the school's future success and good reason to start other such schools in the South.
During 1892, Colcord operated the school privately. Then, at the session of the Seventh-day Adventist General Conference held at Battle Creek, Michigan
Battle Creek, Michigan
Battle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek Rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area , which encompasses all of Calhoun county...
, February 17 to March 6, 1893, the church officially took over the school. This first school in the South inspired the session to recommend that other schools also be established.
In the Fall of 1894, Graysville Academy faced a crisis. Fourteen of the members of the Graysville Church were indicted for having violated the Tennessee Sunday law. This included Colcord, his nephew, Prof. I. C. Colcord, and M. C. Sturdevant, manager of the boys' dormitory.
The church members found guilty refused to pay the fines, choosing to go to prison instead. The imprisonment of the school's leaders resulted in its immediate closing for the rest of the year. The students, some of whom were ready to graduate, returned to their homes.
Southern Industrial School, 1897-1901
In November 1897, the district conference voted to change the school's name to Southern Industrial School. The name change reflected a change in the school's emphasis. Industries were established including a wagon and blacksmith shop, a broom shop, a printshop and a school farm. The farm grew peaches, pears and many types of berries and vegetables.Southern Training School, 1901-1916
The Southern Union Conference was organized in April 1901. Kilgore, the superintendent of the Southern District, known as District 2, was elected the first president of the Southern Union Conference. The headquarters was in Graysville. The General Conference arranged for the Southern Union to take over the operation of the Southern Industrial School. The property was transferred to the Southern Union. They renamed the school the Southern Training School. It offered 14 grades of instruction.Relocation
Eventually the Graysville school outgrew its 7 acres (2.8 ha) site. Church leaders looked for a larger plot of land. They believed "that the only education worth while in these strenuous days is that practical kind which teaches the student to actually do with his hand the things he learns about in books." To provide for this practical concern, they found a larger property. Plans were made to relocate the college program to a 285 acres (115.3 ha) farm at Thatcher's Switch east of Chattanooga. The move from Graysville to Thatcher's Switch involved moving most of the school's equipment, livestock, and implements to the new site fifty miles away. The school moved and opened in its new location by October, 1916. The community was soon renamed Collegedale and the school as Southern Junior College. The term training school had become associated with reform schools while at the same time the junior college designation had become a popular one.Graysville Academy continued on at the original site as a church and conference-sponsored secondary boarding academy until 1938.
Pioneer years
In 1916, the school's property holdings totaled $32,000. Two years later, due mainly to the construction of additional buildings on campus, the school's holdings increased to $113,000. Many students earned their tuition by helping to construct these buildings. Southern was financially supported by two union conferences of the Church's North American administration. The school organized construction bees. Interested church members came from across the South to help in these bees.At first, the school taught only students in grades 1-12 with a total enrollment of 59 students. In 1918, three students were taking post-high school level classes. The total student enrollment at this time was 175.
Southern Junior College served two union conferences of Seventh-day Adventists, the Southern and the Southeastern. Later these two would be reorganized into one, the Southern Union Conference. In 1920, Lynn H. Wood, the president of the college, presented a major report to meetings for both union conferences. He reviewed the events of the first four years at the Ooltewah location.
According to Wood, enrollment grew quickly because of a tuition work program. Students of limited means realized they could get an education and improve themselves. This put a strain on housing. But the desire for an education motivated the students to cope with those early inadequate facilities, "Students have been willing to live in shacks and tents, to put up with all kinds of inconvenience, in order that they might receive the character development that the school had for them." Wood referred to these first few years as the "pioneer years." He wrote that the positive spiritual attitude of the students made these years the most enjoyable that one could wish for.
The college built the girls' dormitory first. The girls moved in before it was finished, even before there was any heating, doors or chairs. They used "curtains for doors, sat upon their trunks for chairs — any way to get along."
Faith community support
The building of the boys' dormitory began in the summer of 1918. The students helped build it, and, in doing so, many earned their way through school. Shortly after the beginning of the school year in 1918, a "Workers' Bee" took place. Church workers from all across the South and from church headquarters in Washington, D.C. came to the college to build the boys' dormitory. For two and a half weeks they worked and associated with the students. They succeeded in putting up most of the framework.Other help from the Adventist faith community included a $6,000 donation by the Southern Publishing Association for a water supply system and another "Working Bee" to build a large dairy barn, a blacksmith shop, and a corn crib. People interested in the college's success bought surrounding properties and donated them to the institution, more than doubling the school's area to close to 600 acres (2.4 km²). This allowed the school to protect itself from families moving so close that they hindered their young people attending from learning some independence, President Wood wrote. He encouraged families to send their young people to the school, and if the cost was too high for some of them, he advised that church leaders make sure they got the help they needed for their young people to attend and live in the dormitory.
Southern Missionary College, 1944-1982
In 1944, the Seventh Day Adventist General Conference Spring Council voted for Southern to become a four year college. The enrollment that first year was the highest ever to date, 436 students. The theology, teaching and pre-nursing departments had the highest enrollments. Industries that helped students earn their tuition included a wood shop, a broom factory, a printing press, and a farm. The name Southern Missionary College was chosen at a combined meeting of the members of the college board, the union educational board, and the college faculty.Southern College of Seventh-day Adventists, 1982-1996
On July 1, 1982, the word "Missionary" was dropped from the school's name. The reported reasons for the change were that the general population reacted negatively to the term; foreign countries resisted accepting church workers who were from a "missionary" college; the name incorrectly identified the school as only a Bible college, rather than a fully accredited, four-year liberal arts institution; and, graduates found the name "missionary" made it more difficult for them to get a job. Southern was the last Adventist college in North America to retain "missionary" in its title. The others changed their names many years earlier.In their official announcement of the name change, the Board of Trustees of Southern Missionary College explained that a shorter name would help popularize it. They also stated that, "The word 'Southern' has been associated with the College since its beginning—Southern Industrial School, Southern Training School, Southern Junior College, Southern Missionary College, and now Southern College."
Early 1980s controversy
As the decade began, Southern College found itself drawn into wider church controversies involving Desmond FordDesmond Ford
Desmond "Des" Ford is an evangelical Christian and an Australian theologian. He is the father of pornography gossip columnist Luke Ford....
, Walter Rae, and Ronald Numbers
Ronald Numbers
Ronald L. Numbers is an American historian of science. He was awarded the 2008 George Sarton Medal by the History of Science Society for "a lifetime of exceptional scholarly achievement by a distinguished scholar".- Biography :...
's book, The Prophetess of Health. The controversy was set off after a visit to the campus by a leading Bible scholar and theologian of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Edward Heppenstall
Edward Heppenstall
Edward E. Heppenstall was a leading Bible scholar and theologian of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. A 1985 questionnaire of North American Adventist lecturers revealed Heppenstall was the Adventist writer who had most influenced them.- Biography :Heppenstall was born in 1901 at Rotherham,...
, who was seen as responsible for a more progressive understanding of the church's "investigative judgment
Investigative judgment
The investigative judgment is a unique Seventh-day Adventist doctrine, which asserts that a divine judgment of professed Christians has been in progress since 1844. It is intimately related to the history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and was described by the church's prophet and pioneer...
" teaching, and who was also mentor to Desmond Ford. It came out in the open after a showing of a James Dobson
James Dobson
James Clayton "Jim" Dobson, Jr. is an American evangelical Christian author, psychologist, and founder in 1977 of Focus on the Family , which he led until 2003. In the 1980s he was ranked as one of the most influential spokesman for conservative social positions in American public life...
film on campus when a teacher from the theology department made a comment that seemed to disagree with statements made by church pioneer Ellen G. White
Ellen G. White
Ellen Gould White was a prolific author and an American Christian pioneer. She, along with other Sabbatarian Adventist leaders, such as Joseph Bates and her husband James White, would form what is now known as the Seventh-day Adventist Church.Ellen White reported to her fellow believers her...
. The incident along with other concerns led to accusations that faculty at the school did not believe in White as a prophet and led to calls for firings. In the following months, various concerns converged. In the ensuing controversies, Southern experienced a change of faculty, including the removal of President Frank Knittel and the resignation in protest of Tom Zwemer from the Board of Trustees. Jerry Gladson, a professor of Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
Studies at Southern, also left the school. His credentials as a minister of the church were not renewed.
Southern Adventist University, 1996-present
In May of 1996, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools granted approval for Southern to become an accredited Level III institution, allowing the school to confer master's degrees. By September of that year, the college's constituency approved the name change to Southern Adventist University. In 1996, attendance was 1600. Since 1996, Southern has continued to grow and build, reaching a peak enrollment of 3,053 in 2010 (compared with 2,079 in 1980).Academics
The student-faculty ratio at Southern Adventist University is 16:1 and its most selected majors are biologicalBiology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
and biomedical sciences; business, management, marketing, and related support services; education; and health professions and related clinical sciences. Southern offers 81 undergraduate degrees, with sixty majors, thirty-eight minors and two one-year certificate programs. It also offers master's degrees in business, education
Master of Education
The Master of Education is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in a large number of countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: curriculum and instruction, counseling, and administration. It is often conferred for educators advancing in...
, psychology, nursing
Master of Science in Nursing
A Master of Science in Nursing is an advanced-level postgraduate degree for registered nurses and is considered an entry-level degree for nurse educators and managers. The degree also may prepare a nurse to seek a career as a nurse administrator, health policy expert, or clinical nurse leader...
, religion and social work
Master of Social Work
The Master of Social Work is a master's degree in social workand especiality of sociology.- United States :In the United States, MSW degrees must be received from a graduate school that has been approved by the Council on Social Work Education...
. The university is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the Accrediting Association of Seventh-day Adventist Schools, Colleges, and Universities
Adventist Accrediting Association
The Accrediting Association of Seventh-day Adventist Schools is an educational accreditation body operated by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists....
. In 2009, the Princeton Review, an education services company, selected Southern as one of 141 institutions it listed in its "Best in the Southeast" section.
School of Nursing
The nursing program was instituted in 1934. Upon completion of the program students were able to transfer to Florida Sanitarium and Hospital, where they could earn a diploma in nursing. In 1963, Southern's President Rees announced that the school's nursing program had received its Bachelor of Science National League of Nursing accreditation. In 2002, the master's program also received official accreditation. Southern's School of Nursing has existed on the Collegedale campus since 1956.In 2003, the School announced an accelerated program allowing registered nurse
Registered nurse
A registered nurse is a nurse who has graduated from a nursing program at a university or college and has passed a national licensing exam. A registered nurse helps individuals, families, and groups to achieve health and prevent disease...
s with an associate's degree
Associate's degree
An associate degree is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by community colleges, junior colleges, technical colleges, and bachelor's degree-granting colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study usually lasting two years...
to receive a Master of Science
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
in Nursing. At this date approximately half of Southern's nursing graduate program were non-Adventist.
In December 2010, the college temporarily suspended a home health
Home health nursing
Home health nursing is a nursing specialty in which registered nurses provide home care to patients. Home health nurses also supervise home health aides. The professional nursing organization for home health nurses is the Home Healthcare Nurses Association ....
nursing program after two of its nursing students were accosted at gunpoint in Chattanooga. The school is considering a safer, more controlled environment for the program.
In 2011, the university opened Florida Hospital
Florida Hospital Orlando
Located in Orlando, Florida, Florida Hospital treats over 32,000 inpatients and 53,600 outpatients annually. This 900+ bed, acute-care community hospital also serves as a major tertiary facility for much of the Southeast...
Hall, a new building with twice the space of the former nursing building, to accommodate an expanding student base.
Institute of Archaeology
The Institute of Archaeology is part of the School of Religion. It coordinates the archaeological programs at Southern through an undergraduate degree, an archeological museum, the William G. DeverWilliam G. Dever
William G. Dever is an American archaeologist, specialising in the history of Israel and the Near East in Biblical times. He was Professor of Near Eastern Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of Arizona in Tucson from 1975 to 2002...
Research Library and its archaeological excavations and publications. Southern is one of two schools in the U.S. where students can pursue an undergraduate degree in biblical archaeology
Biblical archaeology
For the movement associated with William F. Albright and also known as biblical archaeology, see Biblical archaeology school. For the interpretation of biblical archaeology in relation to biblical historicity, see The Bible and history....
. The museum has a collection of nearly 600 artifacts, many of which were unearthed in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
between 1967 and 1975.
The current Institute Director, Professor of Near Eastern Studies and Archaeology Michael Hasel, studied for his doctorate under William G. Dever at the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
. In 2000, Dever gave his artifact collection in loan to Hasel and Southern. This made the development of Southern's program possible. The artifacts, valued at $250,000, date from 3200 BC to 450 AD. The collection has an almost complete set of the many strains of pottery from this period which students can study. In 2008, Dever placed his personal library at Southern, along with 15,000 photographic slides of archaeological excavations.
School of Visual Art and Design
Wayne and Maria Hazen founded the School of Visual Art and Design in 1998. The film department produced Angel in Chains in 2003, a film "based on a true story about acceptance and forgiveness." In 2007, Southern released Secret of the CaveSecret of the Cave
Secret of the Cave is a 2006 student film by the School of Visual Art and Design at Southern Adventist University. The film is an adaptation of the 1920 children's story of the same name by Arthur S. Maxwell...
, a feature film which was awarded a Crystal Heart Award at the Heartland Film Festival
Heartland Film Festival
The Heartland Film Festival is a film festival held each October in Indianapolis, Indiana. First held in 1992, its goal is to "recognize and honor filmmakers whose work explores the human journey by artistically expressing hope and respect for the positive values of life."In May 2007, Heartland...
in Indiana. The family-oriented feature was filmed in Ireland and was the first feature-length film produced at the university. The school offers degrees in graphic design, animation, film production and fine art.
McKee Library
The McKee Library is located on the campus and opened in 1970. Its collection of books and media comprises approximately 165,000 volumes on the shelves, 25,000 electronic books, subscriptions to more than 880 print and electronic periodicals and access to more than 19,000 electronic journals. The library is defined by the Thomas Memorial Collection, a major Civil War collection with more than 3,600 volumes concerning LincolnAbraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
and the Civil War, and authentic photos and newspapers. The Collection has two original copies of the only Lincoln biography ever read and approved by him, the Life of Abraham Lincoln by J. L. Scripps, and a section of his original marble sarcophagus.
Ideology
Southern is known for its religious and social conservatism, and has been called the most conservative among Adventist colleges in North America. In 1988, the head reference librarian at Andrews UniversityAndrews University
Andrews University is a Seventh-day Adventist university in Berrien Springs, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1874 as Battle Creek College in Battle Creek, Michigan, it was the first higher education facility started by Seventh-day Adventists, and is the flagship university of the Seventh-day...
said, in reviewing a new publication at Southern, that the journal would help Southern position itself as the "ultra-orthodox defender of fundamentalist Adventism." In 2001, Adventist theologian and scholar Raymond Cottrell
Raymond Cottrell
Raymond Forrest Cottrell was a respected Adventist theologian, missionary, teacher, writer and editor. He was an associate editor of both the Adventist Review and the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary...
, who is seen by some as a "progressive Adventist", criticized Southern's manner of dealing with Jerry Gladson, a Religion professor during the 1970s and early 1980s, stating that Southern operated as "an agency of Southern Bible belt obscurantism." He went on to say that Southern was, to an appreciable extent, "dependent on the largesse of committed ultra-fundamentalists, who insist that the college operate on ultra-fundamentalist principles."
Another way to describe Southern is that it is known for taking the Bible seriously. In explaining why he placed his collection of artifacts and his personal library at Southern Adventist University, archaeologist William Dever said, "The major support for archaeology work in Israel and Jordan comes from conservative and evangelical circles where the Bible is still taken seriously and no one is more serious and committed about archaeological study in the Middle East than Adventists."
Student life
The Princeton Review describes Southern as a "religiously loving environment." Jewelry is not allowed on campus in any form, including engagement rings, and students are fined if found to have violated the ban. Southern is a dry campusDry campus
"Dry campus" is the term used for the banning of alcohol at colleges and universities, regardless of the owner's age or intention to consume it elsewhere...
, as the Adventist Church opposes the use of alcohol. The university observes the Sabbath from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday and students are expected to refrain from secular activities during these hours.
Although Southern does not have fraternities or sororities, there are 40 clubs on campus, one of which is a chapter of the Adventist Forum, publisher of Spectrum Magazine. The Southern Accent is a weekly student-run newspaper that has been the voice of Southern students since 1926 and gives information on events and outings and "hot issues that are being talked about on campus". There are 21 student-led ministries on campus and in the community and a Student Missions program.
Southern has more than 10 miles (16.1 km) of hiking/mountain biking trails used by students and local community members alike.
There is a campus-wide internet network with all classrooms accessing the wireless network and a computer lab in each building with access to printing. Wireless printing is also accessible in the dormitories.
Dormitories
Southern's dormitories are single genderSex segregation
Sex segregation is the separation of people according to their sex.The term gender apartheid also has been applied to segregation of people by gender, implying that it is sexual discrimination...
although students can opt out of the dormitories during summer sessions or with permission from a dean. Upperclass and married students can receive exemptions from this policy.
The men's dormitory is Talge Hall and the women's dormitory is Thatcher Hall. An accidental fire in Thatcher Hall in April 2005 killed one student and injured two others. The dormitories have also been used to shelter storm victims who needed short-term housing, such as after tornadoes in early 2011.
WSMC-FM radio station
Southern owns and operates FM radio station WSMC which is almost completely staffed by students and the only classical music station in the Chattanooga area. In 2003, following technical problems that caused the station to keep dropping off the air, WSMC upgraded equipment to improve its reliability. It has been in operation since 1961 and is located on campus.Principals, presidents
Graysville Academy, 1892–1897- G. W. Colcord (1892–1895)
- W. T. Bland (1896–1898)
Southern Industrial School, 1897-1901
- Charles W. Irwin (1899-1900)
- N. W. Lawrence (1901)
Southern Training School, 1901-1916
- J. Ellis Tenney (1902–1905)
- M. B. Van Kirk (1906–1911)
- C. L. Stone (1912-1913)
- Lynn H. Wood (1914)
- A. N. Atteberry (1915)
Southern Junior College, 1917-1945
- Leo F. Thiel (1916-1917)
- Lynn H. Wood (1918-1921)
- Leo F. Thiel (1922-1924)
- H. H. Hamilton (1925)
- Marion E. Cady (1926)
- Henry J. Klooster (1927-1936)
- John C. Thompson (1937-1941)
- Denton E. RebokDenton E. RebokDenton Edward Rebok was a Seventh-day Adventist educator and administrator. Born in Pennsylvania, he served the denomination for 44 years. He spent 23 years as a missionary in China...
(1942)
Southern Missionary College, 1946-1982
- Kenneth A. Wright (1943-1954)
- Thomas W. Walters (1955-1957)
- Conard N. Rees (1958-1966)
- Wilbert Schneider (1967-1970)
- Frank A. Knittel (1971-1982)
Southern College of Seventh-day Adventists, 1983-1996
- John Wagner (1983-1985)
Southern Adventist University, 1997-Present
- Donald R. Sahly (1986-1997)
- Gordon Bietz (1998-Present)
Notable alumni
- Clifford GoldsteinClifford GoldsteinClifford R. Goldstein is an American author and editor. He is a leading figure in the Seventh-day Adventist denomination and espouses traditional Adventist beliefs.- Biography :...
, author and editor - Dwight NelsonDwight NelsonDwight K. Nelson is a Seventh-day Adventist evangelist and author.He has been the senior pastor of Pioneer Memorial Church on the campus of Andrews University since 1983. Before coming to Andrews he served as a pastor in Oregon for ten years. He was the preacher for the Adventist satellite...
, pastor - Cherie PriestCherie PriestCherie Priest is an American novelist and blogger living in Seattle, Washington.-Biography:Priest is a Florida native, born in Tampa in 1975. She graduated from Forest Lake Academy in Apopka, Florida in 1993. She moved around quite a bit as a child of an Army father, living in many places such as...
, novelist and blogger - Mathew StaverMathew StaverMathew D. Staver, J.D., is an American lawyer, academic, professor, and former Seventh Day Adventist pastor. He has been a founding member and Chairman of Liberty Counsel since 1989, and dean of Liberty University School of Law since 2006.-Biography:...
, founder and Chairman of Liberty CounselLiberty CounselLiberty Counsel is a non-profit public interest law firm and ministry that provides free legal assistance in defense of "Christian religious liberty, the sanctity of human life, and the traditional family." Liberty Counsel is headed by attorney Mathew D. Staver, who founded the legal ministry with...
The Wedgwood Trio, an American folk group founded at Newbold College
Newbold College
Newbold College is a Seventh-day Adventist higher education provider located in Binfield, Berkshire, England; 40 miles west of London. It offers courses in Theology, Business Management, Arts & Social Studies as well as English Language and is accredited by the University of Wales Lampeter...
in England, has been credited with introducing contemporary sounds into popular Adventist music. The ensemble, Bob Summerour, Don Vollmer and Jerry Hoyle, arrived in America in 1965 and attended and graduated from Southern Missionary College. They achieved widespread popularity in the denomination due to their association with the Voice of Prophecy
Voice Of Prophecy
The Voice Of Prophecy is a long-running Seventh-day Adventist religious radio broadcast founded in 1929 by H.M.S. Richards, Sr.. Initially aired on a single radio station in Los Angeles it has since grown to numerous stations throughout the United States and Canada and more recently has begun...
's camp meeting circuit. In 1969, they returned to their alma mater to put on a concert. They performed from Massachusetts to Florida, in California, the Midwest, the Northwest and also in Canada. Malcolm Bull and Keith Lockhart state that "[t]hey transformed the sound of Adventist popular music at the same time as English bands like The Beatles were breaking revolutionary new ground in the wider musical world." In the early 1970s their career was brought to a halt when Adventist college presidents began banning them from their campuses. Twenty years later they re-united and resumed their musical career, complementing their other careers as psychiatrist (Summerour), church pastor (Vollmer) and clinical psychologist (Hoyle). The re-united trio issued several successful music CDs and re-gained the approval of Adventist church leaders and college presidents.
External links
- Official website
- "Postmodern Bible Critics and Recent Archaeology" article by Michael Hasel
- Southern Adventist University Archaeological Publications online at Issuu
- "Why Strict Churches are Strong" article in American Journal of Sociology
- History of the Wedgwood Trio at Adventist music website
- The Triangle 1941 student yearbook
- Undergraduate Catalogue for Southern Adventist University
- Southern Adventist University Academic Planner 2009–2010 and Student Handbook 2009–2010 (pp.38–77)
Images – Early History
- George W. Colcord and his wife Ada; George W. Colcord; from the Walla Walla University archives
Images – Archaeology
- Khirbet Qeiyafa Dig 2010 end of season staff photo Southern Adventist University Faculty, Square Supervisors, and volunteer staff, at Flikr
- Archaeologist Israel Finkelstein; Hebrew University's Yossi Garfinkel, director of the Khirbet Qeiyafa dig; and Dr. Michael Hasel at chrusion's Flikr
- Collection sets of Khirbet Qeiyafa and Israel by chrusion